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Jeddah, May 31 (KMS): The Convener of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir (APHC-AJK) chapter, Syed Abdullah Gilani, has said unresolved Kashmir dispute is a threat to peace and stability in the south Asian region.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Syed Abdullah Gilani said this while addressing a meeting of OIC Contact Group on Kashmir in Jeddah. He said 70 years on, Kashmir dispute not only remains unresolved but has left a horrifying trail of death, destruction and immeasurable human suffering.

Following is the text of the speech

“This year marks 7 decades since the United Nations adopted a resolution outlining the principles and procedure to be followed for the final settlement of the Kashmir dispute. In this historically significant and, as for as Kashmir issue is concerned vitally important document, the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP ) notes with satisfaction that both India and Pakistan have agreed and have communicated to the commission their acceptance of the principle of democratic method of plebiscite as the basis for deciding the future of Kashmir. 70 years on, Kashmir dispute not only remains unresolved but has left a horrifying trail of death, destruction and immeasurable human suffering in its wake.

The non resolution of this dispute has been a constant irritant for India-Pakistan relations threatening not only the peace and stability of both the nuclear armed neighbours but also turning the entire South Asian region into a tinderbox ready to ignite at the slightest provocation.

Only a couple of months ago, the world watched with awe and horror how an incident in Kashmir almost pushed the neighbours to the precipice of a nuclear confrontation. Thanks to the timely international intervention a disaster was averted just in time. But let’s make no mistake. While the international community has been able to douse the flames of war for the time being the spark that triggers these flames every now and then continues to remain neglected. That spark is Kashmir issue and the 7-decade history of India-Pakistan relations tells us that as long as Kashmir remains unresolved peace and stability in the subcontinent will remain a pious hope and wishful thinking.

It is an unfortunate irony that the international community which is always quick and eager to do the firefighting whenever tensions between India and Pakistan escalate, still does not appear to acknowledge that the panacia for all the region’s woes lies in the full and final settlement of Kashmir dispute.

The Muslim world too, although largely supportive of Kashmiri peoples’ right to self-determination, has not been effective enough in convincing the world powers and the international community at large of the urgency of addressing the two longest pending unresolved issues on the UN agenda, which are Palestine and Kashmir.

In terms of numbers, the OIC represents roughly a quarter of the world population, still it doesn’t appear to have any say in world affairs. There’s something fundamentally wrong in the world’s approach to deal with the issues where the interests of Muslim community are involved and the Muslim world, with all its numbers, resources and influence is not able affect any change in this behaviour. Why? and how long will this go on?

Ladies and gentlemen, anyone acquainted with the history of Kashmir dispute would know that it was India which first approached the UN seeking its intervention in resolving the Kashmir issue. But for the last 70 years India itself has been the main hurdle in its resolution. Today India is not only in complete denial about the nature and history of Kashmir dispute but has been using all the brutal means of repression at its disposal to crush the Kashmiri people’s ongoing movement for the right to self-determination.

In recent years India’s coercive policies against Kashmiris have reached new extremes. Cordon and Search Operations (CASO) have become a norm in which Kashmiri youth are isolated and killed in cold blood on almost daily basis.

In the past year alone more than 500 Kashmiri Muslims, mostly in their 20s, have been killed by the Indian occupation forces.

Residential houses are razed to ground with explosives and peaceful protesters are showered with bullets and pellets. The investigating agencies have embarked on a whichunt wherein infamous draconian laws are being used to implicate pro-freedom activists in false cases and put them behind bars. Tens of thousands of Kashmiris are languishing in Indian jails without any trial. At the same time the resistance leadership is kept under constant detention and contact between them and the masses is being impeded and thereby a vicious attempt is being made to deprive the movement of its leadership. India’s state terrorism against Kashmiris is at its peak but the international community, with some honorable exceptions, remains a mute spectator. When you remain silent in the face of injustice and abuse you become accomplice to it. The international community must share as much blame as India for perpetuating the pain and suffering of Kashmiri people.

Last year, the United Nations came up with its first ever report on the human rights situation in Kashmir wherein the recommendations included the establishment of an International commission of Inquiry to look into the human rights abuses in Kashmir. What happened to that report?? It wasn’t even tabled for discussion. Today itself the new Commissioner of the UNHRC was supposed to release another report on Kashmir. Where’s that?? Is it being delayed under Indian influence??

We hope that the OIC has taken a serious note of all these developments and we are sure that it will intervene and prevail upon the United Nations to not only continue the remote monitoring of Kashmir situation until India agrees to give them unrestricted access but also initiate measures for a resolution in the UNHRC for the establishment of an Internal Commission of Inquiry on Kashmir. We believe a delegation from the OIC can work wonders in favour of such a resolution and we therefore urge all the OIC members to seriously consider sending a delegation to the High Commissioner and members of the UNHRC in addition to sending them letters and issuing a statement in this regard.

At the end, I would like to remind you of a saying of our beloved Prophet (SAW) wherein he defines the relationship between Muslims. The messenger of Allah (SAW) said:

The example of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is like that of a body. When any part aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever.

My brothers and sisters in Islam! Two parts of this Muslim body, that is Palestinians and Kashmiris, have been severely aching for decades, they have been subjected to untold atrocities, miseries and suffering, they are being humiliated, killed, tortured and maimed. They are being disappeared without any trace. They are being bulldozed and bombed. Why doesn’t all this give sleepless nights, shivers and fevers to the other parts of the body?

How much more and how long will it take for the Muslim world to respond in a meaningful manner to all this pain and suffering? I leave you with these questions and I thank you all for this patient hearing.”